The present invention relates to an artificial fishing lure and more particularly to a universally adaptable artificial fishing lure having a detachable streamer.
Fishing has always been one of America's favorite pastimes. Millions of Americans enjoy fishing as a form of relaxation, but obviously the goal of every fisherman is always to have a successful catch. As any experienced fisherman will attest, the degree of success he will have in fishing on any particular day depends on a multitude of factors including weather conditions, time of the day, phase of the moon, time of the year or feeding habits of the fish. The relative degree of success a fisherman will have also depends on his ability to adapt his techniques to compensate for these factors. The color of a fishing lure is of particular importance in this regard and may mean the difference between success and failure on any one day. Although fish are generally thought to be color blind, they are able to distinguish somewhat between different colors and particularly between bright and dull shades. The present invention relates to a fishing lure that has a detachable colored streamer and is therefore universally adaptable for various conditions. If a fisherman finds that he is having relatively poor success on a particular day, he can change the color of the streamer portion of his lure to attempt to improve his results. Formerly a fisherman had to carry a complete array of various colored lures to accomplish this objective, but with the fishing lure of the instant invention, he need only carry one lure of a particular type and a number of different colored streamers. He can then interchange the streamers as required to find the optimum color lure for any one day.
It is anticipated that the fishing lure of the instant invention will be especially well suited for fishing in ocean waters for blue fish and striped bass. Blue fish in particular can be very ravenous feeders and have extremely sharp teeth. A large blue fish can easily tear and destroy the streamer of an average fishing lure with his needle sharp teeth. Accordingly, the fishing lure of the instant invention represents a substantial improvement over those heretofore available by providing a lure with a detachable streamer which can be replaced if cut or damaged. This allows a fisherman to quickly and easily repair his lure by replacing the streamer instead of replacing the entire lure.
The concept of having a fishing lure with a detachable streamer is not entirely new and prior known devices which represent the best prior art of which the applicant is aware are illustrated in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Hart, 2,278,876; Cummins, 2,568,488 and Ross, 3,405,475. However, the lures disclosed in these prior patents employed rather complicated clasping mechanisms for attaching the streamer portions to the main body of the lure. Also some of these lures required preformed streamer portions with mechanical clasps preattached thereto, and none of the prior known devices provided for a simple and effective way of replacing a streamer in the lure.
The artificial fishing lure of the instant invention represents a substantial improvement over these prior known lures by providing a simple clasp in the main body of the lure for the attachment of the streamer thereto. The clasp of the instant invention further employs a wire bail which is pivotally attached to the body of the lure and overlays a portion thereof and is received in a locking mechanism preformed in said body. When the clasp is in the closed or locked position, the wire bail and the body of the lure cooperate to retain the forward end of a streamer thereby firmly securing the streamer to said body in a simple and convenient manner.